LibGuides: CCJ3680: Criminology : Online Statistical Resources

Latest Releases from the Bureau of Justice Statistics

Opinion Research and Polling Data on Crime

Crime: Gallup Historical Trends
Historical polling data on topics in crime from the Gallup organization.
Crime, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Polls from PollingReport.com
A compilation of recent polls on crime-related topics from several polling organizations.
Criminal Justice Research from the Pew Research Center
Includes polling and survey data.
Pubic Opinion from the Prison Policy Initiative
The non-profit, non-partisan Prison Policy Initiative produces cutting edge research to expose the broader harm of mass criminalization, and then sparks advocacy campaigns to create a more just society.
Public Opinion about Criminal Justice: A Curated Collection of Links
A collection of links from the Marshall Project, which has been curating some of the best criminal justice reporting from around the web.

Google Searching

Looking for statistics and reports can be difficult, but Google offers some features that make the process of finding authoritative sources easier.

Use Google's Advanced Search to have better control over your searches.

The "Search within this domain" option lets you limit to just government pages, by typing .gov into the box.

Combine this with the keyword 'statistics' and your topic keyword(s) (healthcare, crime, gender inequality, etc.) to find related statistical data and government reports.

Authority?

Wondering about the authority of a page you've found?

A good rule of thumb is to look at the domain extension, first (.edu, .com, .net, etc.).

While there are ups and downs to each domain, some of the best regulated are .edu (educational) and .gov (government). Try limiting your web search to these domains to improve the quality of your results.

U.S. Statistical Resources

Bureau of Justice Statistics
Contains a number of reports regarding the justice system in the United States, including information about prisons, gangs, etc. Data will likely not drill down to the city level, but some state-related information is likely.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S. Department of Labor)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. Its mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate essential economic information to support public and private decision-making. As an independent statistical agency, BLS serves its diverse user communities by providing products and services that are objective, timely, accurate, and relevant.
Campus Safety and Security Statistics
Statistics provided by the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education.
Data Sets on and Related to Violence Against Women
This list was developed by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) in collaboration with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) to serve as a resource for advocates and others concerned about safety and justice for women and their children.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Uniform Crime Reports
Similar to the NJ reports, you will find detailed information about crime in the United States, back to the mid-1990’s.
Federal Bureau of Prisons Statistics
This site provides data on inmates, population, and staff within the Federal prison system.
FedStats
FedStats, which has been available to the public since 1997, provides access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the Federal Government without having to know in advance which Federal agency produces which particular statistic. With convenient searching and linking capablilties to more than 100 agencies that provide data and trend information on such topics as economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more, FedStats is a one-stop location for access to the full breadth of Federal statistical information.
Juvenile Justice Statistical Briefing Book
Statistics provided by the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
National Center for Education Statistics: Data Tools: State/District Profiles
Tools provide state and school district profiles as well as the ability to conduct comparisons. Also has a great mapping tool by school district.
National Center for Health Statistics
The mission of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is to provide statistical information that will guide actions and policies to improve the health of the American people. As the Nation's principal health statistics agency, NCHS leads the way with accurate, relevant, and timely data.
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics brings together data from more than 100 published and unpublished sources about many aspects of criminal justice in the United States. Since 1973, the project has been located at the University at Albany, School of Criminal Justice, and compiled and managed by staff at the Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center in Albany, New York.
U.S. Census Bureau
Provides reports and actual data from the U.S. census, as well as the results of various other statistical reports. Data is probably best suited for finding demographic information about a city/town, although related reports may provide additional information.
United States Drug Enforcement Administration Data and Statistics
Data, statistics, and facts from the Drug Enforcement Agency, about drug arrests, seizures, and type of drug arrests.
United States Sentencing Commission Data
This page provides users with access to the Commission's annual and other special datafiles that support the Commission's research agenda. These datafiles exclude identifiers and provide fiscal year data for researchers interested in studying federal sentencing practices through quantitative methods.

NJ Statistical Sources

Crime Reports & Statistics
Provides links to a variety of statistical reports on crime in NJ. Reports include: Uniform Crime Reports, Domestic Violence Reports, Carjack Offense Reports, Bias Incident Reports, and Crime Index Trends.
New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services: Center for Health Statistics
Links to a number of reports and state departments dealing with health.
New Jersey Department of Education: DOE Data
Provides information on a variety of educational statistics throughout NJ, often providing county, district and/or municipal data. Links include information about enrollment, graduates, dropouts, staffing, state Aid, as well as a number of major reports.
Disease Statistics
Provides access to NJ state and county communicable disease statistics.

Online Resources

Whenever you use a website or other online resource in your research, it's important that you think critically about the source of information, as well as its credibility.

Think about the following criteria when considering a website for your research:

Authority
(who created/hosted/edits the site, and what are their credentials?)
Accuracy
(are there errors/omissions/mistakes/lies?)
Objectivity
(what is the purpose of the site (Sell/Persuade/Fool/Inform/etc.)?)
Currency
(How recent is the research, and does it matter to your topic?)
Coverage
(To what depth is the information covered, and is there anything new that you haven't already found elsewhere?)

If you feel that there is any doubt about the quality of the information you find, always look to an authoritative source for confirmation.

For more information on these terms, visit the FYS Website Evaluation page.